Dubai: Naif Police Station is doing anything but rest on its laurels as the most historical police station in Dubai.

With a full complement of more than 1,000 police officers, Naif Police station continues to stem rising crime trends just as it has for more than seven decades, new figures suggest. The most historical police station in Dubai, located in Naif, is taking a bigger bite out of crime just as it has for more than seven decades..

According to statistics revealed yesterday by Dubai Police, Naif Police Station has recorded 5,572 criminal and traffic offences in the area during the first half of 2012, indicating a decline of 12.3 per cent as compared to the same period in 2011.

The police station used to be known as Naif Fort that also included a jail, public prosecution and the court, and is considered to be the first headquarters of Dubai Police.

It was constructed in 1939 under the order of Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum and police officers were transferred from the coastal force of Oman to work in Naif. It initially had six officers working under the Police Chief -- it boasts a full roster of more than 1,000 officers.

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“Naif has always been known as the commercial area in Dubai where lots of business deals and transactions take place on a daily basis. The area is characterised by a combination of tradition, customs and diverse cultures that is visited by residents and tourists like,” said Al Masam.

The most popular site in the area is the gold souq, which is surrounded by dozens of banks, money exchange outlets, hotels and the ever-popular Naif Souqthat are monitored by police at all times.

Naif Police Station has an extensive set of programmes implemented by its relevant departments and one of the most active one at present is dedicated to the protection of customers in banks.

“The team is made up of 13 undercover police officers who carry out surveillance in banks and money exchange outlets. If they see that a teller is acting carelessly with transactions, the person is then brought to the police station and has to sign an agreement stating that he will act more responsibly when dealing with customers,” said Al Masam, who pointed out that the number of officers may be increased in particular areas if suspicious activities have been reported.

He emphasized that another team, known as Al gargour (a traditional fishing trap made of steel), concentrates its efforts in certain areas of Naif that have the highest number of pickpockets and crimes recorded. This special team regularly coordinate with the police stations in Al Muraqqabat and Al Rifa’a to exchange information in theft cases and to notify nearby police patrols for back-up.